Motion Hearing in Murder of Soccer Referee Pushed to October

DETROIT, MI – A motion hearing that was originally scheduled for Friday, September 12th, 2014 in the murder case involving Bassel Abdul-Amir Saad who is accused of killing soccer referee John Bieniewicz has been pushed back to 9:00a.m. October 17th, 2014 .

A court official is unsure at this time why the motion hearing was moved.

The motion hearing will take place in the court room of Circuit Judge Cynthia Hathaway at the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice in Detroit.

Saad’s attorney is going to seek a change in venue for the trial. Ali Hammoud is requesting a change of venue for the trial because of the increased exposure of the case involving his client. Hammond will also seek to get Bassel Saad’s bail reduced from the $1 million that it is currently set at.

Hammoud asked Judge Hathaway during Saad’s arraignment last month that the bond be reduced to $150,000, saying he was not a flight risk. Prosecutors took issue with the reducing the bond.

Prosecutors have found discrepancies in dates on some of Saad’s official documents, including his passport that has been turned-over to authorities.

John Bieniewicz, who was punched by Saad, died from the injuries sustained by him during an adult soccer game that was being played in Mies Park in Livonia on Sunday June 29th, 2014.

Bassel Abdul-Amir Saad remains locked-up in the Wayne County Jail awaiting trial. A final conference in the case is scheduled for October 30th, 2014 and a jury trial is slated to begin December 8th, 2014.